Method and system for playing a game of matching a pattern of game pieces

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a method of playing a game in which a pattern of game pieces is determined. For example, the pattern of game pieces can be a conventional card pattern such as a straight or a flush. Alternatively, the pattern can be a pattern or letters forming one or more words or a pattern of game pieces including indicia of questions, such as trivia questions. The pattern of game pieces can be determined randomly such as by dealing a pattern or computer generating a random pattern. Game pieces are dealt to one or more players and each of the players individually or collectively contribute game pieces to try to match the determined pattern.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to games, such as a game in which a target patternof game pieces is selected and one or more players are dealt one or moregame pieces to try to individually or collectively match the targetpattern.

2. Description of Related Art

Variations in card games using card point values are known. In gamessuch as black jack, a point value of cards is each player's hand isadded together to determine the value of the hand after the player hadthe opportunity to be dealt additional cards. Different hands arecompared to determine the winning hand, such as comparing the handagainst the dealer hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,486 describes a method of playing a card game usinga card number subtracting technique in which cards of the playing deckare assigned numerical point values. Eights, nines and tens are removedfrom the standard deck to establish a deck of forty cards. Each numberedcard is assigned its point value. Each ace is assigned a value of one.Each face card is assigned a value of zero. Two cards are initiallydealt to each player with each player having the option of receiving athird card. If a third card is dealt, one of the cards is discarded. Thehands are compared to determine a winning hand as the hand in which thepoint value difference between the two cards in the hand is closest tozero.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,573 discloses a wagering card game permittingplayers to play against a dealer or the “house” and not against otherplayers. Six standard decks of playing cards, from which all face cardshave been removed, are combined. Each of the numbered cards has a numbervalue equal to its number, and aces have a number value of 11. Eachplayer places a wager as to whether a three-card game hand to be dealtto him or her will be odd or even. If a player's odd/even wager matchesthe sum of the number values of the three cards dealt to that player,then the player wins the wager. Preferably, a single card is dealt facedown to the dealer and in addition to an odd/even wager as to theplayer's own game hand, the player is permitted to place one or moreother wagers as to a characteristic of the face down card. Further, eachplayer is permitted to place additional wagers as to anothercharacteristic of the cards in the player's own game hand. Variations ofthe type of game hand dealt are also possible.

It is desirable to provide a card game using a simple concept which iseasy to play and provides increased player's interest for one or moreplayers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of playing a game in which apattern of game pieces is determined. For example, the pattern of gamepieces can be a conventional card pattern such as a straight or a flush.Alternatively, the pattern can be a pattern or letters forming one ormore words or a pattern of game pieces including indicia of questionssuch as trivia questions. The pattern of game pieces can be determinedrandomly such as by dealing a pattern or computer generating a randompattern. Game pieces are dealt to one or more players and each of theplayers individually or collectively contribute game pieces to try tomatch the determined pattern. If game pieces dealt to the one or moreplayer match the pattern, the one or more players win. A payout can bepaid according to the difficulty in obtaining the number of game pieceshaving the pattern.

The invention will be more fully described by reference to the followingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method of playing a game.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a betting board which can be used withthe game.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodimentof the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be usedthroughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or likeparts.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method of playing a game of matching apattern of game pieces 10. In block 12, a pattern of game pieces isdetermined. The pattern of game pieces can be determined randomly suchas by dealing a pattern of game pieces from a deck or collection of gamepieces. Alternatively, the game pieces can be randomly selected by adevice, such as a computer. For example, data representing eachindividual game piece can be stored in computer memory. A random numbercan be assigned to each of the stored individual game pieces. A programfor randomly selecting the assigned random values can be implemented togenerate a pattern of game pieces.

In one embodiment, one or more conventional decks of 52 cards can beused as game pieces determining a pattern of game pieces. In analternate embodiment, the game pieces can be a deck of a predeterminednumber of cards having a certain characteristic, for example, ten redcards and ten black cards or twenty red cards and twenty black cards. Inan alternate embodiment, the game pieces can be a deck of cards havingan odd or even characteristic, for example, five odd cards and five evencards, or ten odd cards and ten even cards.

In an alternate embodiment, Mah Jongg tiles can be used as game pieces.Alternatively, the game pieces can be one or more dominoes or die. Inone embodiment, a predetermined number of dice are rolled fordetermining a pattern of game pieces. For example, the number of dicecan be two through six die.

In an alternate embodiment, the game pieces include one or morealphabetic representatives or numbers. An example pattern can be a wordor phrase, such as “Stella Wins”.

In an alternate embodiment, the game pieces can be cards includingindica determining a pattern of game pieces. For example, the gamepieces can include trivia questions. The pattern of game pieces isdetermined by a pattern of trivia questions. Players can read and answerthe trivia questions for fun while playing the game.

In an alternate embodiment, characteristics of a player are inputed intothe computer having game pieces stored in the computer memory. Forexample, the characteristics can be age, education, geographic location,nationality or other background characteristics. Thereafter, in block14, game pieces are determined based on the inputed characteristics.Accordingly, the trivia questions are customized to the characteristicsof the player.

In block 14, game pieces are dealt to the one or more players. In block16, after each game piece is dealt to one or more players, or after allgame pieces are dealt to one or more players, it is determined if thedealt game piece individually or collectively matches the predeterminedpattern of game pieces. Accordingly, in one embodiment the one or moreplayers can play together and root for one another to match thedetermined pattern of game pieces.

Betting can take place on a guess of the game pieces dealt to the one ormore players individually or collectively match a predetermined patternof game pieces. In one embodiment, device for playing a game 50 includesbetting board 51, as shown in FIG. 2. Betting board 51 can be a gametable. Betting board 51 is partitioned into portions 52 a-52 b. Eachportion 52 a-52 b corresponds to a guess of a match of the pattern ofgame pieces. For example portion 52 a corresponds to a guess of a matchof the pattern of game pieces. Portion 52 b corresponds to a guess of ano match of the pattern of game pieces. A plurality of portions 52 a-52b can be arranged on betting board 51 for receiving bets of a pluralityof players.

In an alternate embodiment, a player places a wager of any amount on oneor more of portions 52 a-52 b. The pattern of game pieces is selected bythe dealer, a player, preselected by the house, or determined by acomputer as described above. Game pieces are dealt to one or moreplayers at dealer stations 54 a-54 n. Each of the one or more players atdealer stations 54 a-54 n attempts to individually or collectively matchthe pattern of game pieces. A player wins a bet if a bet was placed on aportion 52 a-52 b corresponding to the guess of a match of the value ofthe pattern of game pieces and the one or more players matches thepattern of game pieces individually or collectively or if a guess of nomatch of the pattern of game pieces and the player does not match of thepattern of game pieces.

A winning matched guessed value earns the player a predetermined payout.For example, the payout can be equal to the amount bet or can be greaterthan the amount bet, such as paying out 3 to 1 odds. In one embodiment,the payout is based at least in part on the probability of matching thepattern. In one embodiment, the odds of winning the game may be mademore in favor of the house. For example, a winning player will be paidless than the true odds of the bet in order to allow the house or casinoto profit from hosting the game.

In another embodiment, the house can take a commission on all winningplayers, for example, 5% of the winnings.

In one embodiment, each player is dealt the game pieces and the playerscan play against each other. Alternatively, only one hand of game piecesis dealt and one or more players can bet against the dealt hand of gamepieces.

In one embodiment, the game is played in a casino. Alternatively thegame can be played electronically or digitally, such as, for example, ona video screen, over the Internet or on a mobile device.

In another embodiment, a bonus wager is placed at portion 55 a-55 d.Before the game pieces are dealt to a player, one or more game piecesare placed aside portion 55 a-55 d as bonus game pieces. After themethod of playing a game of matching a pattern of game pieces 10 isplayed, the one or more bonus game pieces set aside bonus portion 55a-55 d are revealed. A player wins if the bonus game pieces match anypart of the pattern or the entire pattern of predetermined game pieces.Alternatively, a player wins if the bonus game pieces have apredetermined pattern depending on the number of bonus game pieces used.For example, for two bonus game pieces, the predetermined pattern can betwo of a kind or same suit. For three bonus game pieces thepredetermined pattern can be three of a kind, same suit, or straight.For four bonus game pieces, the predetermined pattern can be two pair,same suit or straight. Alternatively, a player wins if the bonus gamepieces indicia of the game pieces, for example, “Everybody is a Winner”.It will be appreciated that various predetermined pattern can be used inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention. The bonus canalso be paid out in a progressive manner in which bonus bets which arenot paid out are accumulated and a subsequent player having a winningbonus bet collects the accumulated bonus bets.

It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments areillustrative of only a few of the many possible specific embodiments,which can represent applications of the principles of the invention.Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised inaccordance with these principles by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A method of playing a game comprising the steps of: a) determining apattern of game pieces; b) dealing one or more game pieces to one ormore players; and c) determining if each of said game pieces dealt tosaid one or more players individually or collectively match said patternof game pieces.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein in step a) said patternof game pieces is determined by a dealer.
 3. The method of claim 1wherein in step a) said pattern of game piece is determined randomly. 4.The method of claim 1 wherein in step a) said pattern of game piece isselected by one of said one or more players.
 5. The method of claim 1wherein in step c) if it is determined said game pieces match saidpattern all players win.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the gamepieces are one or more cards of a deck of 52 cards.
 7. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said game piece include one or more alphabeticrepresentatives or numbers.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein said gamepieces include indicia.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein said gamepieces include trivia questions.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein saidgame pieces are ten cards, five of said ten cards having an odd pointvalue and five of said ten cards having an even point value.
 11. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: inputtingcharacteristics of a player; and determining said game pieces based onsaid inputted characteristics.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein saidpattern is a word or phrase.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the gameis played in a casino.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the game isplayed on a video machine.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the game isplayed over the Internet.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the game isplayed digitally or electronically.
 17. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising the steps of: placing one or more bets on a guess of if amatch of said pattern of game pieces will individually or collectivelymatch said game pieces dealt to said one or more players; and paying apayout if the guess is matched.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein thepayout is based at least in part on a probability of obtaining a matchof said pattern of game pieces.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein thepayout is equal to an amount of the bet.
 20. The method of claim 18wherein the payout is greater than an amount of the bet.
 21. The methodof claim 1 further comprising the steps of: before step a), determiningone or more bonus game pieces having a bonus pattern, and after step d)determining if said one or more bonus game pieces match said bonuspattern.
 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising the steps of:placing a bonus wager; and paying a payout if said one or more bonusgame pieces are determined to match said bonus pattern.
 23. A device forproviding a card game comprising: a playing area defined by one or morebetting locations configured to receive one or more bets requiring aguess of a match or no match of a pattern of game pieces; said match orno match of said pattern of game pieces being determined collectivelyfrom one or more said game pieces dealt to one or more players; and adealer station for each of said one or more players having one or morelocations configured to receive said dealt game pieces.
 24. The deviceof claim 23 wherein the betting locations and said dealer station arelocated on a gaming table.
 25. The device of claim 23 wherein the gameis played in a casino.
 26. The device of claim 23 wherein the game isplayed on a video machine.
 27. The device of claim 23 wherein the gameis played over the Internet.
 28. The device of claim 23 wherein the gameis played digitally or electronically.